The present invention relates to an ultrasonic imaging method and apparatus, and more particularly to an ultrasonic imaging method and apparatus for capturing an image representing pulsation strength in moving velocity of an echo source within a subject using the Doppler shift in ultrasonic echoes.
In ultrasonic imaging, the Doppler shift in ultrasonic echoes is used to capture a blood flow image. The blood flow image is displayed as a CFM (color flow mapping) image that represents two-dimensional distribution of the blood flow rate or as a power Doppler image that represents locations of blood flows. Based on the blood flow image of an ROI (region of interest), an oncologic diagnosis, for example, is made. When the oncologic diagnosis or the like is made based on the blood flow image, the important key for the diagnosis is whether the blood flow of interest is arterial or venous.
The CFM image and the power Doppler image however have a problem that as these images cannot detect a pulsation property of the blood flow it is difficult to decide whether the blood flow is arterial or venous. Therefore, in order to study the pulsation property, Doppler signals at a point of interest must be sampled again by, for example, a point Doppler technique to observe a spectrum thereof or to listen to Doppler sound.